BLOG: Going to extremes

HOW far would you go to catch a fish?

Fishing is one of those activities that can bring out obsessive and compulsive behaviours, which at first glance may appear to defy logic or the actions of a rational mind.

I recall a trip to Lake Eucembene during a record cold snap that saw temperatures plummet well below freezing. The wind chill whilst motoring across the lake at dawn was painful. You know when it's really cold in the morning and some spritely chap annoyingly describes the weather as "fresh" – I remember hearing those words and thinking to myself that the cold had frozen their brain; it wasn't fresh, it was damn freezing!

I'm sure Merriam-Webster would have been on my definitional side. We caught nothing during that snow and sleet laden morning and by mid afternoon had one fish on the frozen riverbank to show for our efforts.

Another example that springs to mind involves a multiple hour hike, only to get lost. After finally reaching the "honey hole" it unfortunately lacked any form of sweetness and was just a barren hole of a place. Despite the nice scenery and cool "getting back to nature" stuff, the splendour of the environment was lost as we arrived hours late to a fishless locale. Can't win them all I guess!

Tales of woe aside, the rewards for going to extremes can be immense and the thrill of pushing the limits generally surpasses the trials and tribulations faced along the way.

Forsaking a warm predawn bed for a rainy winter raid on the local fish population; rough weather and lifeless seas; scorching heat and still days where the mercury reaches unbearable levels; not all fisherman are mad but it doesn't necessarily hurt if you are!